Last week marked a special occasion in Leeds – Arts in Care Week, a project by the Leeds Digital Inclusion Team aimed at promoting the arts to people receiving care. We proudly volunteered as the only domiciliary care provider within Leeds to collaborate on this opportunity.

Whilst these events are traditionally focused on captive audiences in care homes and extra care facilities, this year, we worked with Leeds City Council to bring together people we support. Many people we support are often home alone, and may not get the opportunity to socialise and share in the joy of art. We wanted to create a welcoming environment that would encourage people to come together and overcome their feelings of loneliness and isolation.

We pay all our colleagues from the start of their first care call to the end of their last care call. This approach means our team can utilise their time fully to support people, providing care and support beyond the tasks in their care plan such as assisting them to attend events like these!

The Be Caring Arts in Care Afternoon Tea

On Friday afternoon, on the 29^th of September, we supported several clients to access the Arts in Care project, attending the Sugar Mill Café in Beeston, where they enjoyed watching pre-recorded streams of musical recitals including the Leeds International Piano Competition – and indulged in afternoon tea!

Our Care Workers, office colleagues and representatives from the Leeds City Council went Above & Beyond to ensure our clients had a memorable experience.

Discovering Arts in Care Week

The 2023 Arts in Care Digital Programme, presented by 100% Digital Leeds, showcased a diverse range of events spanning from September 25^th to 29^th. These events covered a wide range of art forms and cultural activities, including dance, music, and sports. What made these sessions so special was their suitability for individuals with varying care needs. Jennifer Rhodes (Assistant Digital Inclusion Officer at 100% Digital Leeds) shared her thoughts on our tea dance:

“At 100% Digital Leeds our aim is to make Leeds the most digitally inclusive city for everyone with all citizens having equal opportunity to use digital tools, technology, and services in the right way for them. When Sally from Leeds International Piano Competition approached me about making their Carers Leeds event accessible digitally to people in care, I thought that it was a fantastic opportunity to widen participation and bring people together over food and music, as part of the Arts in Care Digital Programme week of activities. Be Caring took the opportunity and really made it their own, their afternoon tea was a beautiful event with lots of chatting and happy smiling faces all round! I felt so privileged to be able to share in the occasion and I look forward to working together in the future.”

Words from Our Guests

Meet Doreen a 79-year-old woman we have worked alongside for the past 5 years, ensuring she remains happy and independent in her home. After attending our event Doreen shared, “I won’t forget this for a long time. It’s so nice to meet everyone and catch up with the people I haven’t seen in a while. It would be nice to have another one!”. Derri, our Client Support Manager added, “It’s not a party without you Doreen!”.

Another attendee was Margaret, a 96-year-old woman who we have supported for just over 3 years. She shared, “Everyone is so friendly and smiley, a breath of fresh air.” Known for her wit, when introducing yourself Margaret will often respond with, “Nice to meet you, my names confused!”.

We are looking forward to being part of future opportunities to bring people together.